1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capsule medical apparatus and a capsule medical apparatus collecting system for medical actions such as the examination and treatment of the inside of the body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well-known, a method using various examinations such as the complete physical examination and endoscope examination is generally known as a method for checking the health condition of an examinee (patient). Further, a capsule medical apparatus is also well known for easily checking the health condition by swallowing a capsule as a capsule-shaped examining material and by examining in-vivo information. Various above-mentioned capsule medical apparatuses are suggested.
As a first well-known art, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 61-11107 discloses a medical capsule which is capable of extracting a sample of the body fluid at a predetermined position in the body.
The medical capsule comprises a main body frame including a power circuit and a battery, a sampling collecting cylinder arranged at one end of the main body frame, having an inhaling port, a piston arranged in the sampling collecting cylinder, a compression spring inserted between the piston and the sampling collecting cylinder, a string guide for stopping the piston, and an electric wire which comes into contact with the string guide, and an outer cylinder having an inhaling port which is slidable to the outer periphery of the sampling collecting cylinder.
In the examination using the above-mentioned medical capsule, a patient first swallows the medical capsule, and electric waves are emitted to the medical capsule by an extracorporeal device when the medical capsule reaches the organ of digestion. The electric waves are generated, then, the power circuit in the main body frame operates, and current flows to the electric wire. Further, the string guide contact with the electric wire is melted and cut. The string guide is cut and then the stop operation of the piston is released. Thus, the piston moves by the force of the compression power. The body fluid around the outer cylinder is obtained from the inhaling port of the sampling collecting cylinder which matches the outer cylinder. Further, the movement of the piston slides the outer cylinder and the inhaling port of the sampling collecting cylinder does not match the outer cylinder, then the sampling collecting cylinder is closed, and the body fluid can be obtained in the sampling collecting cylinder.
After the medical capsule is evacuated from the body and is collected, the obtained body fluid is picked up from the sampling collecting cylinder and is analyzed and examined.
As a second well-known art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-225996 discloses a capsule living body information examining apparatus which can detect living body information such as video body information. The capsule living body information examining apparatus has a light output port which outputs illumination light to the living body, an image pick-up port which picks up an image of the living body, and a casing having a living body information sensor which detects the temperature of the living body. The casing includes a battery which supplies power to the components, a white LED which illuminates the living body via the light output port, a CCD which picks up an image of the living body via the image pick-up port, a control circuit which controls the above-mentioned components, and a memory which stores the living body information that is obtained from the components. The white LED also functions as transmitting means which externally transmits the living body information stored in the memory.
In the examination using the capsule living body information examining apparatus, the patient turns on a power switch, and swallows the capsule living body information examining apparatus. The swallowed capsule living body information examining apparatus moves in the organ in the living body and the white LED illuminates the body. Then, the CCD picks up images of portions. The image pick-up information is stored in the memory. Further, the information obtained by the living body information sensor is stored in the memory.
As described above, the capsule living body information examining apparatus which detects the living body information of the portions in the body is evacuated and collected. After that, the information stored in the memory via the white LED is extracted and is analyzed and examined.